DeRoche Projectswas founded in 2022 by Glen DeRoche after a decade-long stint at Adjaye Associates. After leaving Adjaye Associates and completing his M.Arch at The Bartlett School of Architecture, Glen relocated to Ghana where he began working with Jurgen Benson-Strohmayer. Now building his own practice, De Roche’s work places an emphasis on heritage, sustainable construction, and community. With a background in photography it comes as no surprise that his practice now works between Architecture and Art- with photography still being a large part of his creative process.
Source: Stir WorldSource: Azure Magazine
Four- meter rammed earth walls surround the Backyard Community Club’s tennis court in Accra, Ghana. The Backyard Community Club meets a need for public space in, utilizing a site strategy that DeRoche Projects calls “deliberately open-ended, where lines between sport, gathering, learning, and rest are blurred.” The court is bordered on one side by a garden of edible and medicinal plants along with restrooms and changing rooms. The remaining sides are bordered by either concrete or rammed earth walls that meet the surrounding neighborhood. 2
Source: Julien Lanoo
This project is the first instance of precast rammed earth modules in Ghana. Each module was designed with a perforation and taper, this design creates triangular fenestrations across the whole wall. 3
Source: DailyArch
DeRoche’s use of rammed earth walls pulls from a long history of earth building in Ghana. Indigenous peoples in this area typically used wattle and daub as well as the Atakpame method- a way of building with earth creating monolithic earth walls that provided thermal mass to cool interiors. 4 DeRoche also has a personal connection to rammed earth walls, saying in an interview with PINUP, “I see texture as a way of deepening the sensorial qualities of architecture. It allows for depth, richness, and this poetic dance between light and shadow, which create emotive and surreal ways of making and experiencing space.” This is exemplified by the rammed earth modules in this project which cast deep shadows across the tennis court or garden depending on the time of day.
Builder: Imperial Chinese Dynasties (Qin, Han, Ming)
Location: Northern China
Primary Construction: 3rd Century BCE – 17th Century CE
Length: Over 21,196 km (13,000+ miles)
Construction: Rammed Earth, Stone, Brick
The Great Wall of China is one of the largest architectural and engineering systems ever constructed. Rather than a single continuous wall built at once, it is a network of defensive walls, watchtowers, fortresses, and natural barriers constructed over nearly two millennia to protect imperial China’s northern borders.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Great Wall of China does not have a single architect because it was constructed across multiple dynasties over nearly 2,000 years. Instead, it represents evolving architectural authorship under different imperial rulers. Each dynasty functioned as both patron and designer, adapting the Wall to new political and military conditions.
Qin Dynasty – Qin Shi Huang (3rd Century BCE)
The first large-scale unification of defensive walls began under Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE.
Qin Shi Huang was born in 259 BCE in the state of Qin during the Warring States period. Although he was not formally “educated” as an architect in the modern sense, he was trained as a ruler and military strategist. After conquering rival states, he unified China and centralized political authority. His administrative reforms standardized writing systems, currency, road systems, and infrastructure.
His motivation for building was strategic and political. Northern nomadic groups such as the Xiongnu threatened the stability of the newly unified empire. By linking previously independent regional walls into a continuous defense system, Qin Shi Huang aimed to secure territorial boundaries and demonstrate imperial strength.
Contribution:
Connected regional defensive walls into a larger unified system.
Established rammed earth as the primary construction method.
Used forced labor from soldiers, peasants, and prisoners.
Positioned walls along natural ridgelines for defensive advantage.
These early sections were constructed primarily from rammed earth. Soil was compacted in layers between wooden forms, creating dense, load-bearing defensive barriers.
Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE)
During the Han Dynasty, the Wall was expanded westward to protect Silk Road trade routes. Han emperors were administrators and military rulers, continuing Qin’s centralized governance model.
Contribution:
Extended Wall deeper into desert regions (Gansu corridor).
Used rammed earth mixed with gravel and reeds for added strength.
Integrated beacon towers for rapid communication.
The Han contribution emphasizes the Wall not only as defense but as economic infrastructure. It controlled trade taxation and secured caravan routes.
Ming Dynasty (1368–1644)
The most recognizable and well-preserved sections today were built during the Ming dynasty.
The Ming emperors were ruling after the fall of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. Having experienced foreign rule, they were deeply invested in border security. Imperial engineers during this period functioned as state-trained builders and military designers.
Rebuilt large portions using fired brick and stone.
Created composite walls: brick exterior with rammed earth or rubble core.
Designed fortified passes with complex gatehouses.
Increased tower frequency for line-of-sight signaling.
Improved drainage systems to reduce erosion.
The Ming sections represent a technological evolution. The structure became thicker, taller, and more fortified. Towers included interior rooms, stairs, storage spaces, and defensive openings.
SITE & LANDSCAPE
The Wall follows mountain ridgelines for strategic defense.
The Wall stretches across mountains, deserts, and grasslands. It follows ridgelines to maximize visibility and reduce material needs. By working with the landscape, the Wall becomes both fortification and landform.
PROGRAM, MATERIALS, & FORM
Watchtower used for surveillance and signaling.Walkway wide enough for troops and horses.
The Great Wall is not a single building with square footage but a territorial-scale system. It extends more than 21,000 kilometers across northern China.
Program includes: Defensive walls, Watchtowers, Beacon towers, Fortified gates and passes, Military housing, Trade control checkpoints
Early Construction: Rammed earth (tamped soil between wooden forms), Gravel and reeds in desert regions
Later Construction (Ming): Fired brick facing, Stone foundations, Rammed earth or rubble core, Lime mortar
The process involved layering material in lifts and compacting each layer. The walls taper upward, creating structural stability through compressive mass.
The form of the Wall is linear and serpentine. It adapts to terrain rather than imposing a rigid geometry. Watchtowers create rhythmic intervals along the landscape. The thickness of the wall allows it to be inhabitable. Soldiers could move along its top, shelter inside towers, and defend through crenellations.
RAMMED EARTH CONSTRUCTION
Before brick and stone were widely used, large portions of the Wall were constructed using rammed earth. This method involved placing soil between wooden formwork and compacting it in layers using tampers. Each layer was compressed until it formed a dense, rock-like mass.
Rammed earth was ideal for several reasons. It used locally available soil, reducing transportation demands. It created extremely thick, load-bearing walls with high compressive strength. In arid climates, rammed earth proved durable and stable over centuries.
In many Ming sections, rammed earth forms the internal core of the wall, while brick and stone create a protective exterior shell. This composite system combines the mass and structural stability of earth with the weather resistance of masonry.
The Great Wall demonstrates that rammed earth can perform at massive territorial scale. It validates earth as a structural material capable of forming defensive infrastructure thousands of miles long.
CONCLUSION
The Great Wall of China demonstrates architecture at the scale of geography. It redefines what a “building” can be by functioning as territorial infrastructure.
It inspired later global fortification systems, use of rammed earth in defensive architecture, and integration of architecture with topography.
Architecturally, it proves that rammed earth is not primitive but structurally capable of massive construction. The material’s compressive strength, durability in arid climates, and availability made it ideal for large-scale defense.
Politically, the Wall symbolizes centralized authority and national identity. It reflects the ability of the state to mobilize labor and resources over generations.
Environmentally, it demonstrates sustainable construction through local material sourcing and terrain integration.
Ultimately, the Great Wall is not just a defensive barrier. It is a layered architectural narrative built over centuries, reflecting evolving technologies, political ambitions, and material intelligence. It stands as one of the earliest examples of architecture functioning simultaneously as engineering, infrastructure, cultural symbol, and landscape intervention
Image Credits:
UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Text Sources:
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “The Great Wall.” https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/3642
Magellan TV “Who Built the Great Wall of China and Why?” https://www.magellantv.com/articles/who-built-the-great-wall-of-china-and-why
Architect:Espacio 18 Arquitectura – Carla Osorio and Mario Ávila
Construction: Adaptive reuse of adobe masonry reinforced with steel
Photographs: Camila Cossio, Espacio 18 Arquitectura via ArchDaily
Espacio 18 Arquitectura is a studio based in Oaxaca de Juárez, founded by Carla Osorio and Mario Ávila (1990), both Mexican architects educated and practicing primarily in Mexico, with projects extending to Tucson, Arizona. Their work is focused on close listening rooted in research and collaboration rather than formal preconception. Projects develop from context, client, and existing fabric rather than a repeated stylistic language. Structure is exposed when necessary, materials remain direct, and spatial decisions emerge from use.
“Every design becomes a personal portrait — shaped together… Each of our projects looks and feels different because each one emerges from a different story.” – https://www.espacio18.mx/about
Masea Wheat & Corn Bakery (2021) and Plúmula Workshop House (2022) were among the projects that brought recognition to the firm. Masea gained attention for its careful reinterpretation of a traditional Oaxacan bakery through restrained material expression and spatial clarity, positioning everyday food production within a refined architectural framework. Plúmula became widely published for its adaptive reuse of adobe reinforced with a lightweight steel frame, clearly articulating a contemporary approach to earthen construction while maintaining strong ties to site and craft culture.
This project, the Plúmula Workshop House, began with an inherited half-house made of adobe masonry and a mature flamboyán tree. These two elements established both structure and center. The tree became the spatial anchor, the adobe the material foundation. The design emerges from an ethos of reinforcing what exists, stabilizing rather than replacing, and allowing the house to grow from its given condition.
The structure had stood unfinished for decades when Amy, a plastic artist, sought to transform the existing walls into a ceramics workshop, home, and space for gathering and rest during her visits to Mexico. The challenge was to retain the material character and history of the structure while completing it in a way that made it functional and structurally sound.
The response is careful and restrained. The original load bearing adobe walls remain as the primary enclosure and source of thermal mass. Lightweight exposed steel is inserted to stabilize the masonry, support new roof planes, and frame calibrated openings for doors, windows, and circulation. The connection between steel and adobe is left visible, clearly distinguishing what is existing from what is newly added. These moments cluster around the courtyard, areas of reinforcement, and points where light and movement enter the space. The rawness of both materials contributes to a sense of honesty and continuity with the site.
The material palette is local and deliberate, limited to adobe, steel, pine, and red brick. This restraint creates cohesion and warmth without excess. Environmental performance is integrated into the construction through thermal mass, a solar heater, rainwater harvesting, and LED lighting, allowing sustainability to operate quietly within the architecture itself.
Within 754 square feet, the program is organized along the perimeter of a courtyard defined by the flamboyán tree. The ceramics workshop occupies the most open and light-filled edge, allowing production to extend outward when glazing is fully retracted. The bedroom is positioned for enclosure and privacy, set slightly back from the primary activity zones. Living and gathering spaces mediate between work and rest, allowing the house to shift between retreat and collective use. This arrangement directly reflects the client’s needs: a space to make, to pause, and to host. Circulation traces the courtyard edge, maintaining constant orientation to the center. Sliding glazing opens the interior directly to the courtyard, extending work and domestic life outward while enabling cross ventilation. The courtyard operates simultaneously as climatic regulator and spatial anchor.
Plúmula transforms an unfinished structure into a calibrated environment for living and production. Its significance lies not in formal novelty but in structural clarity. By retaining adobe and reinforcing it with steel, the project demonstrates that adaptive reuse can operate as precise construction rather than surface preservation. It affirms the continued relevance of earthen architecture within contemporary practice and proposes a model of growth grounded in consolidation, restraint, and careful intervention.
Bodega en Los Robles is located in central Chile, in a valley where the land is most suitable and prominently known for the cultivation of Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon. Designed by José Cruz Ovalle and associates Ana Turell and Hernán Cruz, this bodega stands as the first organic, autonomous, closed-system, non-contaminated vineyard in Chile.
José Cruz Ovalle, born in Santiago de Chile, is a Chilean architect that is well know for his use of wood and designs that beautifully integrate nature, creating a harmonious relationship between nature and man. Coming from a family of architects, Ovalle attended Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile where he studied architecture, later transferring to la Universidad Politecnica de Cataluña in Barcelona where he received his degree. During his time in Barcelona, Ovalle opened his own practice in 1975 where he worked for 12 years before returning to Chile to open his Santiago-based studio José Cruz Ovalle y Asociadoswith wife Ana Turell, Hernán Cruz and Juan Purcell Mena.
Part of Ovalle’s process consists of beginning with sculptures as a way of understanding the rhythm of material and form through physical senses. Much like his works, his sculptures display a complexity that he has very clearly mastered and is able to convey with ease. These dynamic forms are best seen in his manipulation of wood as both structural and sculptural elements in his designs. As a result, he has received many awards, one of them being the Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award in 2008 for his mastery of wood.
Built on Viñedos Santa Emiliana, the bodega was built between 2001 and 2002 and takes up approximately 3,385 sq.ft. of the vineyard. Ovalle and associates made use of natural and local materials to cultivate and emphasize the biodynamic unity between nature and man in the context of agricultural processes like wine production. The walls are made of zocalo de piedra con hormigon (base foundation of stones and concrete), adobe bricks and glulam wood. The main structure being made of laminated wood and topped with corrugated copper panels.
The form of the walls was created from the artisanal material, masa (paste/dough) typically associated with the adobe bricks and concrete. Here is where Ovalle’s sensibility makes its presence as the focus becomes the feeling of the masa with the hands and the body. Feelings that go beyond the construction process and later persist as the body inhabits and works in proximity to the material. In this case, however, the masa is not just the adobe or the hormigon, but the wood, the stones the copper roof finishings. Together these materials create harmonious spaces which users are able to connect with to the same capacity that they connect with the agricultural and vinification processes of their biodynamic practice.
Brenas Doucerain Architectes is a Grenoble-based firm dedicated to the “frugality” and “essentiality” of construction.Their work focuses on the dialogue between architecture, local landscape, and human life. They believe matter is the substance of architecture. By using site-specific raw materials like rammed earth (pisé), they express the sensory and poetic qualities of the land without relying on artificial technology. The firm advocates for energy sobriety and low technologies. They treat architecture as a “frugal” tool—using only what is necessary to create human-scaled, adaptable spaces. Their designs utilize archetypal elements to bridge the gap between historical heritage and modern living, ensuring buildings are sustainable “traces in time.”
Program & Form
The site of the project is that of the courtyard of the current school group located in the center of town, dense tissue organized around the place of arms. The outdoor area reserved for elementary school children is closed between a dead end in the west and the existing Jules Ferry building in L to the east and north. Two beautiful plane trees inhabit this space.
Materials & Process
Traditional local rural architecture is built of rammed earth. The facade walls along the impasse, now demolished, had once been built with this local resource. The school group dating from the nineteenth century is built in masonry and the town hall located across the street. The new nursery school slips into an existing dense fabric, with a shoehorn, gently, between adobe walls and plane trees.
The project consists of a volume of R + 1 masonry and coated, slightly skewed to escape the plane trees of the yard. It is built along the impasse by a rammed wall forming basement which allows reconnecting with the vocabulary of the old walls, to implement an available resource on the spot, a clay and ocher earth.
On the courtyard side, a lower wooden structure leans against it and offers a covered space, the courtyard and an additional outdoor area, on the terrace, accessible to children for accompanied and supervised educational activities. It helps to decongest the yard on frequented during recess. It is deformed at the right plane trees to avoid their extended roots, slips under their rowing to enjoy their shade. The structural principle is simple and implements pieces of local solid wood, stacked, juxtaposed, superimposed, like the construction game for children. The upright timber uprights act as a sunshade in the east.
The organization of the spaces is done in a voluntarily long and stretched volume, which closes the courtside North while encroaching as little as possible on its surface. The distributive principle mono-oriented allows lighting the circulation naturally. Classrooms and activities are superimposed according to their decibel production; the changing room above the canteen, the library above the desks, the big classes above the little ones, and nothing above the restroom.
Inspiration
This project proves that rammed earth, an ancestral material, can meet rigorous modern public building codes through contemporary design. It is not only sustainable (low-carbon, recyclable) but also provides a warm, sensory environment that offers children a profound sense of psychological security. The architects demonstrate how to utilize “the soil beneath our feet” to create modern public spaces, moving away from a total reliance on concrete or industrial materials.
Dot.ateliers is located on the Osu waterfront in Accra, Ghana. The building was completed in 2023. The project covers approximately 540 to 600 square meters. Amoako Boafo founded the project as an artist residency and community art space. The building supports studios, exhibitions, and public programs for contemporary art in Ghana.
David Adjaye designed the project with his practice, Adjaye Associates. David Adjaye is a Ghanaian-British architect. He was born in Tanzania and raised in the United Kingdom. He founded Adjaye Associates in 2000. The studio works internationally. The practice focuses on culture, local materials, climate response, and social impact.
Adjaye believes architecture should respond to place. He sees buildings as part of social and cultural systems. He does not treat architecture as a neutral object. He often uses local materials in his work. He always considers climate and geography during design.
Dot.ateliers reflects these values clearly. The building uses locally sourced rammed earth as its main material. The material reduces the carbon footprint. The material also connects the building to Ghana’s construction traditions. The façade uses a double-skin system. The cavity between the layers improves thermal performance. The system helps regulate heat in Accra’s hot and humid climate. The material shapes both structure and atmosphere.
The site strongly influences the design. The building stands near the coastline. The ocean brings strong sunlight and steady winds. The architects needed to manage heat, light, and ventilation. The surrounding neighborhood contains small residential buildings. The area does not include high-rise towers. The building keeps a modest scale in response. The building rises three stories. The building remains compact and controlled.
The ground floor creates the main connection to the city. A perforated timber screen defines the entrance. The screen forms a transition between the street and the courtyard. The screen creates a space that feels both open and protected. The ground floor contains the café and gallery. The courtyard brings light and air into the center. This level supports public activity and circulation.
The upper floors contain more private spaces. The second floor holds artist studios and work areas. The atmosphere becomes quieter on this level. The top floor contains additional studios and enclosed rooms. The organization follows a clear vertical order. The building moves from public to private as one moves upward.
Interior materials support this order. Exposed concrete appears in circulation areas. White plaster defines the gallery spaces. Timber adds warmth to transitional zones. Each material helps clarify function.
The roof completes the spatial experience. The sawtooth roof introduces north-facing clerestory light. The roof allows soft and even daylight to enter the gallery. The roof reduces glare and excessive heat. The roof acts as both a formal gesture and a climate device.
Dot.ateliers shows how a small building can carry strong meaning. The project connects culture, climate, and community. The project expresses the values of Adjaye Associates through material and space. The building remains simple, grounded, and precise.
3.Adjaye Associates — Studio Official Website, Adjaye Associates. Retrieved from:
https://www.adjaye.com/
4.Adjaye Associates Built a New Home for dot.ateliers Community and Art Space in Accra, WorldArchitecture.org. Retrieved from:
https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-news/fzmgm/adjaye-associates-built-a-new-home-for-dot-ateliers-community-and-art-space-in-accra
Tuckey Design Studio (UK) explores the cultural, social and emotional connections formed with buildings over time. They seek to transform structures, through adaptive reuse of existing buildings or sustainable new construction, into places that serve their occupants for generations.
Recently completed in the Wiltshire countryside is a pioneering new build homestead that’s relearnt an ancient building method.
Located on a former brickworks, the series of buildings has risen upon an area of clay rich soil which, alongside recycled aggregate from demolished outbuildings, forms the composition for the rammed earth. The home is one of a few examples in the UK that utilize unstablised rammed earth; a circular construction method involving no cement in the mix.
Castle-like walls inexorably bind the building to its landscape, forming walled gardens and visually offset by Douglas fir and oak timber frames that contrast with the monolithic earth structure. Distinguishing elements include decorative niches embedded in the walls, a spiral staircase, rammed earth flooring in the snug and a ‘storm terrace’ from which to observe the dramatic cloud formations over the West country landscape.
This house should also make clever use of the inside/outside spaces, particularly for entertaining, and feel intimate enough for two, but it could host 20.
Overall Bird’s-eye View
The result is an H‑shaped plan incorporating five bedrooms, with an additional two in the staff quarters across the drive, and a separate flat on the first floor of a Victorian house that was otherwise mostly demolished to make way for the new homestead. There is a boot room to support equestrian pursuits; a puzzle room for playing games; two walled gardens; and Bachelardian snugs, nooks and landings for lounging and socializing outside the living and dining room areas.
Plans Section
At 810 sq m, sat on a 63-acre estate, the property is large; yet the studio’s clever design and high-spec yet tactile and organic materials afford a comfortably intimate feel.
Sourcing material from the site
When faced with a spectacular view, architects often find it hard to resist the temptation to make it the central focus; think expansive glazing that makes rolling hills visible from every point. But Tuckey believes there can be too much of a good thing: that a view is best when rationed and mediated. “You need to pace it,” he says. “You can have one moment where you get it all, but it also needs to be sliced up and served in small chunks.”
The notion of imperfection set the tone for the project’s most significant design decision: the use of rammed earth. When the client demolished some buildings on the site, an old brickworks, they discovered clay underneath. And rammed earth is durable and energy efficient, also forgiving.
Triple glazing and the thermal mass of rammed earth walls support the sustainability strategy.Deep windows with timber-lined reveals frame landscape views.
Refining the rammed earth mix
The process is as follows. First you dig up the clay, then you dry it for anywhere between a few weeks and six months – in this case, two or three – before crushing it into a powder. When you’re ready to build, the clay is mixed with an aggregate, which can be gravel or broken-up bricks, blockwork or concrete. Here, the demolished buildings on the site were the first option, but when that didn’t provide the right consistency, gravel was sourced from nearby to correct the balance. The material was then combined with water to form a “dry, biscuity consistency”. The clay and aggregate mix requires 7 per cent water content for optimal results
This was tipped into formwork and compacted from 150mm to about 75mm for the external walls and 100mm to 50mm for the internal ones, to make them tighter and less prone to dusting. The external walls are stratified with layers of pozzolanic lime mortar that act as an erosion check – ‘speed bumps’ for falling water – every 300mm, and every layer on the corners. The most exposed walls are tiled with stone for additional strength. Walls are typically 400mm thick, but range up to a meter, requiring no joints for more than 100m in length.
Rammed Earth Wall CornerRammed Earth Construction ProcessAn oak spiral stair is structurally independent of curved rammed earth walls.Construction Details
A rich interior palette and hidden technology
Together, the team created features ranging from a wooden spiral staircase to enormous pivoting doors. Creative freedom was balanced with a common understanding of the atmosphere required. The end result comprises spaces that vary from double-height atriums to cozy nooks, creating a sense of discovery and variety. Recessed niches for objects echo the benches carved into exterior walls. The palette is rich and tactile: earth walls finished with a muted, protective casein coating, limestone, oak, copper and clay plaster.
While craft and materiality are the house’s most evident characteristics, it is far from arcane. A lot of technology is hidden within the earthen structure. There’s a fully automated lighting system, a ground-source heat pump for hot water and heating, a photovoltaic slate roof to generate electricity, and troughs harvesting rainwater for watering the gardening – all of which fulfil the client’s expectation of high functionality and sustainability.
Kitchen-diner with custom-made cabinetry.IndoorGarden
Inspiration
In terms of the house’s eco credentials,it was unable to obtain Passivhaus certification on account of having too many junctions – perhaps an indication of it being, by most standards, an exceptionally large house for two people. Its true eco legacy, within the context of a country that faces dual housing and climate crises, is the range of possibilitiesit opens for wider applications of unstabilised rammed earth. Tuckey Design Studio is now working with Stonewood to explore ways of using prefabricated rammed-earth components in a terraced housing project.
Rauch’s company, Lehm Ton Erde, produces such elements in Austria, but he has long maintained that transporting panels across great distances offsets the carbon savings made by using the material in the first place. Instead, Rauch promotes ‘field factories’ situated as close to building sites as possible – a little like Rammed Earth House’s on‑site laboratory, but standardised and at a larger scale. This house marks an important step in demonstrating the viability of unstabilised rammed‑earth construction in the UK.
The house incorporates two walled gardens, protected from the elements, as well as a greenhouse. The unstabilised rammed earth is capped by brick ‘hats’, which protect the walls from direct rainfall
The Windhover Contemplative Center is a one-story, 4,000-square-foot spiritual refuge on the Stanford University campus. It was designed by the architecture firm Aidlin Darling Design and named after a series of paintings by artist Nathan Oliveira.
About the Architect
The cofounding partners of Aidlin Darling Design at the Center for Architecture + Design in San Francisco. Photography: Adam Rouse.
Aidlin Darling Design is an architecture firm based in San Francisco, California, founded in 1998. It was established by two partners, Joshua Aidlin and David Darling.
They earned their Bachelor of Architecture degrees from the University of Cincinnati, where they met as students. Their collaboration began with woodworking and furniture-making projects, which later developed into their architectural practice.
They see design as a multisensory experience, where the way something feels, smells, and sounds is as important as how it looks.
About the Architecture
PlanEntrance
The building is situated beside a natural oak grove. Visitors enter through a long private garden, where a bamboo grove at the entrance separates the building from the outside world.
Matthew Millman PhotographySections
The building primarily uses rammed earth, stained oak wood, glass, and waterelements to create a sensory and contemplative atmosphere. Inside the center, thick rammed earth walls and dark wood surfaces create a strong contrast with the light-filled eastern wall.
Matthew Millman Photography
Matthew Millman PhotographyMatthew Millman Photography
Water and landscape elements are integrated throughout the project: fountains within the interior and courtyards create a calm atmosphere, while a quiet reflecting pool and garden on the south side mirror the surrounding trees.
Matthew Millman PhotographyMatthew Millman Photography
The outdoor meditation spaces blend seamlessly with the daily use of the center, reinforcing the connection between nature, art, and contemplation. The courtyards and the expansive glass curtain wall on the east allow visitors to view the paintings without entering the building, creating a peaceful place for the Stanford community both day and night.
About the Material
Matthew Millman Photography
The rammed earth walls, ranging from 18 inches to 2 feet thick, were hand-tamped pneumatically in 6–8 inch lifts. The pressure was carefully controlled to create a variegated texture that reflects the construction process.
Matthew Millman Photography
The soil beneath the building initially produced a rich brown color, similar to the sandstone buildings of Stanford’s original campus. While beautiful, the pure site soil proved too dominant for the artwork. Ultimately, a five-part blend was developed, with 20% of the material sourced directly from the site. The remaining ingredients included coarse sand, “birdseye” gravel, powdered rhyolite, decomposed granite, and Portland cement.
Matthew Millman Photography
Oliveria’s Windhover Dyptich, 36 feet long and six feet high, hangs on 234,000 pounds of rammed earth-a wall twenty feet tall by sixty feet long. A wall this tall requires two form set-ups. With a stacked form you need to give careful consideration to the location of the stack point. Notice the cold joint runs right through the center of the painting.
The project was designed by DUST (Design, Undertaking, Space, Territory), led by architects Cade Hayes and Jesús Robles. Completed in 2012 in the Tucson Mountains, Arizona, the approximately 2,300-square-foot residence reflects the studio’s commitment to material authenticity and desert-responsive architecture.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
The Tucson Mountain Retreat is located along more than 900 feet of shared boundary with Saguaro National Park, embedded within the rugged and ecologically sensitive Sonoran Desert. Surrounded by dense stands of towering saguaro cacti, the site conveys a profound sense of stillness and geological permanence. The architecture responds not as an object placed upon the land, but as a form shaped by its climate, light, and topography.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoSite Plan | DUST
Conceived as an experiential rammed earth residence, the project approaches the desert landscape with restraint and reciprocity. The muted tones and layered texture of rammed earth define a restrained program that opens generously toward the horizon. Circulation sequences deliberately extend outdoors, folding landscape into daily life. Shifting desert light, filtered views, and seasonal changes become active participants in the spatial experience.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
The clients—a physician from San Diego and his wife—sought both reconnection to the desert landscape and a space that supports music as an integral part of daily life. The program includes living spaces, bedrooms, and a dedicated music studio. A clear separation strategy organizes these functions to enhance site integration while ensuring acoustic isolation between the studio and private areas.
1&2F Plan | DUSTSection | DUSTPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
The structural system integrates load-bearing rammed earth walls with concrete and steel elements, while large operable glazing systems frame expansive views of Saguaro National Park and facilitate cross-ventilation.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
Arrival is marked by a sequence of fractal concrete cubes that offer an open-ended path toward two separate entries: midway up the ascent, a narrow slit marks the bedroom entry, while a dark square void defines the main entry.
Photographed by Bill Timmerman
Rammed earth walls traverse the plan, dividing it into three primary zones while providing thermal mass and acoustic buffering. The central living space, open to both north and south, acts as the core of the house and as a transitional buffer between the music studio to the west and the sleeping quarters to the east.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
Material and sensory engagement are central to the design. Spanish cedar introduces warmth and scent in the bedrooms, while charred wood surfaces in the bathroom core evoke the cracked textures of a drought-stricken desert floor.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
Each programmatic component is accessed via exterior passages, encouraging repeated engagement with the landscape.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
Above, a spiral stair leads to a roof deck oriented toward expansive desert views and night skies.
Photographed by Jeff Goldberg / EstoPhotographed by Jeff Goldberg / Esto
When large sliding glass panels retract, the house dissolves into a shaded, ramada-like pavilion, animated by wind, scent, and the changing desert light.
Earth House, designed by Lara Fuster Prieto, is located in the small town of Boadilla de Rioseco in rural Spain. The project explores how traditional building methods can still work for contemporary life. The house is designed as a permanent residence and focuses on sustainability, energy efficiency, and thermal comfort, while keeping its environmental impact low.
The building has a simple rectangular shape made up of four parallel bays running east to west, which helps maximize sunlight throughout the day. The north façade faces the street and has smaller, unevenly placed windows, similar to traditional houses in the area. On the south side, the house opens up with large windows that act as solar collectors during the winter months. In the summer, wooden shutters and a pergola covered with deciduous vines provide shade and help prevent overheating naturally.
The structure is built using load-bearing adobe walls made from locally produced bricks measuring 33 × 15 × 10 cm, sourced within 40 kilometers of the site. These walls are insulated on the exterior with cork panels, creating an external insulation system that greatly improves energy performance. The gable roof is made from a wooden sandwich panel with cork insulation and finished with reused curved clay tiles, allowing the house to blend in with the surrounding village buildings. Instead of cement, lime mortar mixed with straw is used for the exterior plaster. This material is breathable, helps regulate moisture, and is more sustainable over time. Wooden doors and windows further reduce the home’s carbon footprint, while roll-up shutters act as passive sun protection.
Inside the house, the partitions are lightweight and built with exposed wooden slats, recycled cotton insulation, and medium-density wood boards. To bring in more natural light and create a sense of openness, the upper portions of these walls include polycarbonate panels. Some of the adobe walls are left exposed, highlighting the material and giving the interior a warm, earthy feel.
Thanks to the thermal mass of the adobe, the house maintains stable indoor temperatures between 22 and 24°C during the summer, even when outdoor temperatures reach over 40°C. Because of this passive performance, the house does not require any active cooling systems and achieves an A-rated energy classification. In the winter, underfloor heating is used, inspired by the traditional “glorias” heating system found in the region.
In summary, the Earth House project focuses on reducing environmental impact while using local, traditional materials to stay connected to its cultural context.
